Coaches Blog Round 17 2017

Great to see the colts bounce back with an outstanding win on Saturday with another youngster from Bunbury having a strong day on debut.

Patrick Farrant has been playing good footy for Bunbury footy club, and had just completed the Landmark carnival before coming up for a run. His 4 goals and a number of scoring assists showed that he has a lot to offer.

Mitch Bain played well off half back and Joey Hinder’s 4 goals had the opposition under pressure. Garcia, O’Sullivan and Grayden Wilson also had strong performances in the 37 point win.

The twos came up against the best team in the competition and had a chance to pinch the game half way through the last. We had a number of opportunities to push back in front but unfortunately, we couldn’t put them under any scoreboard pressure.

A couple of late goals broke it open and we lost by 25 points, but that margin wasn’t indicative of the contest. Wytik, Watson, Cipro, Hughes, Erceg and Ridley were all very good and put their hand up for senior selection.

We also saw Sam Taylor come up and have a taste of senior footy, and his performance against  some quality forwards was full of merit. His competitiveness and tackling were a real highlight.

The league game was a real rollercoaster with the boys getting out of the blocks and dominating the first 40 minutes of footy. Our intensity and energy thrown into key roles had the opposition on the back foot, and we scored heavily through some simple entry inside 50.

Since the loss, I’ve been asked what happened to turn the game the Bulldogs way from half way through that second quarter, and it came from a couple of areas. Our match ups were compromised through injury and we had to flick things around a little from the middle of the quarter and that coincided with the momentum change.

We then made 3 very poor defensive efforts in the back end of the second quarter that allowed uncontested shots on goal, and instead of turning 4 or 5 up at the main break, the margin was back to 11 points.

After the break, a very powerful midfield brigade clicked into gear and we just couldn’t get our hands on the footy. Even though we led by a goal in the early stages of the last, we were up against it, and unfortunately the floodgates opened.

It was a shame because our early work was full of merit, but an inability to sustain the effort throughout the 22, and the quality of the Bulldogs eventually wore us down.

Tony Notte was again superb and was well supported by Uges and Mitch Mckenzie! Crowley’s early efforts were very impactful before a hamstring strain curtailed his day. Gaulty’s performance in the ruck against Higgins was a real highlight and the brilliance of Tarryce Stewart in the first half was exciting to watch. Ellard’s attack on the ball and classy finishing made him one of our best on the day also.

We have a week off now to refresh and hopefully get a few back. Ellis, Riggio, Clutterbuck, Blight, Kirkup and Hackett should all be very close to returns and with injuries to Ellard and Crowley, we should get enough time to recover these boys and see them line up against Peel.

5 very important games to come leading into finals. We are in a strong position, but no fixture is easy on the run in so it will be an exciting period for the footy club.

Greg.